Chapter Fifty-Four: Sending a Letter to Collect Debts

In just one morning, Meng Jinyao had figured out the income from the estate and shops over the years.

The Zhou family wasn't as well-off as the Yongchang Earl's Mansion back then, but it wasn't bad either. Her mother was the only daughter of the Zhou family, and the family gave her a generous dowry. Whether it was the estate or the shops, the income was quite good.

However, her second uncle, a gambler, was spoiled by her grandmother and lost a lot of the family fortune. In addition, the Yongchang Marquis's family had declined in recent years, but her mother's dowry helped maintain the family's dignity.

Most of the income from those estates and shops has already been spent by the Sun family.

When Ningdong saw the total amount calculated by her master, she stammered, "They...they've gone too far. Is this huge Yongchang Marquis's mansion supported by the late Madam's dowry?"

Meng Jinyao chuckled: "My dear father is very concerned about his reputation and spends a lot of money."

A moment later, Chunliu came in with a tray, took out the plate of snacks and placed it on the table, then brought a bowl of milk-infused red bean glutinous rice ball sweet soup to Meng Jinyao.

Seeing Meng Jinyao's confusion, Chunliu explained, "Madam, the other day I noticed that you liked to drink milk and even said you wanted to drink milk-based sweet soup. Today I saw fresh milk in the kitchen, so I took the liberty of asking the cook to make some. I don't know if it suits your taste."

Meng Jinyao was slightly taken aback. She had only mentioned it once that day, and Chunliu had remembered it. Not only did she remember it, but she also noticed that she liked to eat red bean cakes and glutinous rice balls. So she made sweet soup with red beans and glutinous rice balls that she could eat, so that she wouldn't have to worry about eating things that she didn't like. Neither Qingqiu nor Ningdong around her were so meticulous.

She picked up the spoon, took a sip, and nodded in satisfaction: "It tastes good. You're so thoughtful. I just said it casually, it's kind of you to remember."

Chunliu's face lit up with joy: "I'm glad you like it, otherwise I would have really meant well but ended up doing something wrong."

Meng Jinyao put down her spoon, folded the letter whose ink had dried, and was about to hand it to Ningdong when she saw Chunliu looking at her expectantly, her face seemingly saying, "This servant wants to serve Madam."

Since the other party was so hospitable, she couldn't refuse their hospitality, so she handed the letter directly to Chunliu and instructed, "Chunliu, go to the Yongchang Marquis's residence and give this letter to my father."

Upon hearing this, Chunliu was overjoyed. She quickly reached out and took the letter, saying respectfully, "This servant will deliver it right away."

Meng Jinyao nodded and picked up her spoon again to drink the sweet soup. The cook's cooking skills were quite good; she had removed the fishy smell of the milk and only smelled a rich milky aroma, which made her very hungry.

Ningdong glanced at Chunliu, who was walking briskly away, and felt very jealous. If Chunliu hadn't been there, she should have been the one to deliver the letter. She couldn't help but mutter, "Madam, I've fallen out of favor."

"How did you fall out of favor?" Meng Jinyao shook her head and chuckled, pushing the plate of pastries toward her. "If you're willing to run errands, I'll let you do it next time. Here, your favorite crystal cake, fresh out of the oven, still warm, have some more."

Upon hearing this, Ningdong's jealousy vanished instantly, and a smile returned to her face, her lips almost reaching her ears. The madam still cared for her; Chunliu had gone to run errands, and she stayed to eat pastries.

Meng Jinyao smiled helplessly when she saw that a few pieces of pastry had appeased her. This girl just loves food. If a man tries to win her over with food in the future, she might just fall for him.

-

The Yongchang Earl's Mansion.

When Meng Dongyuan received the letter from Chunliu, he had a bad feeling. However, Chunliu was a stranger, and he could tell at a glance that she was not a maid from the Yongchang Marquis's mansion, but definitely from the Changxing Marquis's mansion. He couldn't show anything, so he took the letter and generously gave her some money to send her away.

After Chunliu left, Meng Dongyuan opened the letter and immediately flew into a rage. She kicked over the chair in front of her and shouted, "You rebellious daughter!"

As soon as Madam Sun arrived, she heard this angry shout. Startled, she shrank back. She quickly realized that her husband was probably scolding Meng Jinyao. She hurriedly walked into the hall and asked, "Husband, please calm down. Be careful not to upset yourself. What happened?"

Meng Dongyuan was so angry that his face turned red and his neck bulged. He handed her the letter in his hand, furious: "Look at this wretched child! She's trying to drive her own family to their deaths. Why was it Zhou Shi who died back then and not her? We raised her all these years, and not only does she not know how to be grateful, she also wants to ask her own family for money."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Sun hurriedly took the letter and examined it carefully. She discovered it was a debt collection letter, and when she saw the amount on it, she almost fainted.

Did their family have as much dowry money as Zhou's?

This is no small sum. Even if all of her dowry were converted into cash to compensate Meng Jinyao, it wouldn't be enough. The Yongchang Marquis's mansion would also have to spend a considerable amount of money to make up for it.

In a moment of quick thinking, Madam Sun came up with a good idea: "Husband, why don't we talk to A-Yao and pay her back in installments? We can pay a little bit each year, and we'll definitely be able to pay it all off eventually."

Meng Dongyuan glared at her and said irritably, "Didn't you see what that rebellious woman wrote at the end? She said she would return every penny to her within ten days, or she would report her to the authorities. She dared to make such a big fuss, do you really think she wouldn't dare to report her to the authorities?"

Sun was speechless.

Meng Dongyuan rubbed his temples in frustration. Seeing Sun's aggrieved expression, he felt even more annoyed. If he had known this would happen, he shouldn't have listened to Sun's instigation and taken away Zhou's dowry. Otherwise, this ugly incident wouldn't have occurred.

He waved his hand and said in an unhappy tone, "Alright, stop sitting there. Go and convert your dowry into cash and give it to that rebellious daughter. If it's not enough, take it from the manor's public accounts."

Upon hearing this, Sun felt both angry and aggrieved. Her husband's family had blatantly confiscated her dowry, and did so as if it were perfectly justified. In an instant, all of her dowry was confiscated, leaving her penniless and destitute, forced to rely solely on her husband's family for survival. She felt very uneasy.

Seeing that she was standing still, Meng Dongyuan frowned in displeasure and patiently comforted her, "Madam, don't worry, the children will be successful. Ayu is also very beautiful and will marry a good husband to help the Meng family in the future. When the Meng family prospers, the money you have invested will definitely be returned to you."

Madam Sun dared not object and nodded in agreement, "I will take care of it in a moment."

Upon hearing this, Meng Dongyuan's expression softened, and he said gently, "Madam, our family made the right choice in marrying you. Other couples would abandon each other when disaster strikes, but you generously helped us through the crisis."

Hearing this, Sun felt very pleased. Her husband still loved her, understood her sacrifices, and knew how good she was. She glared at Meng Dongyuan and said coquettishly, "Then my husband must treat me better in the future."

Meng Dongyuan retorted, "When have I ever treated you badly? What haven't I done according to your wishes?"

After thinking about it, Madam Sun felt that it made sense. Even if her husband took concubines, none of them ever surpassed her. Except for that ill-fated maid who gave birth to a son born out of wedlock, no other woman was allowed to get pregnant after Madam Sun gave birth to Chengxing.